World
Insights into SPIEF 2024: Shifting Pathways Towards Global South
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
Conceptually, the idea of holding every year an international economic forum is unique to explore and navigate available potential opportunities generally for development and specifically for investment and trade. Established several years ago, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) has earned its unique achievements through organisational strategy and consistent approach toward this serious gathering.
While analysing several emerging reports, first and foremost it offers us to understand the significance of this platform. It provides a unique opportunity for politicians, investors and corporate business executives as well as the young generation to interact network and ask questions to opinion leaders or trade experts, and to get better acquainted with the changing trends, investment climate adherence to traditional values, and adapting to diversities in business culture on the global landscape.
At the initial formative stages, SPIEF’s focus was largely on the United States and Europe as conceptualized, the nucleus results must harmonise trade and financial flows, and reflect on economic growth. After the Soviets crumbled and what else, the rising frequency of shuttling to the United States and Europe – Russia’s dream of becoming part of Europe. But that has changed during the past few years primarily due to the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine and due to the sudden geopolitical shift, the urge to move away from Global North to Global South. Without mincing words here, that is the undeniable reality.
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin posted a greeting on his official website to the participants, organizers and guests underscoring the fact that the time has arrived to make the necessary departure away from the United States and Europe, and that “Russia is open to constructive dialogue and interaction with friendly partners” and strictly based on the principles of true equality, the consideration of each other’s legitimate interests, and respect for the cultural and civilizational diversity of states and peoples.
Putin has previously used his address to share his assessment of the global economy and highlight issues on the domestic business agenda. He pointed to the fact that it is not only essential to maintain a stable trajectory of qualitative growth but also to capitalize on emerging opportunities, effectively develop competitive advantages, and boost potential in the fields of science and technology. Given this, it is crucial to preserve and strengthen business and investment ties between countries within the context of multipolar conditions.
The fact remains that Putin’s position overwhelmingly reflects the shift away from the post-Soviet dream of becoming part of prestigious Europe. As evolving developments show, the only alternative left for Russia is to become an indivisible part of Asia, an integral constituent of the Global South. Russia has invited Asian and African countries under the tagline: ‘The Foundation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World’ at the 27th gathering June 6 to 8 in St. Petersburg, the second largest city in the Russian Federation.
By Russia’s BRICS chairmanship, much of the business programme is devoted to issues related to long-term cooperation in spheres such as the financial and banking sectors, investment and trade, development of high technologies and pharmaceutical industry between BRICS members. China and India, the United Arab Emirates and Iran are prominent on the agenda. Ethiopia, Egypt and South Africa have their positions and expectations from SPIEF.
Currently, due to global rivalries combined with political and economic tensions, Russia faces new ambitious tasks, including perceptions over the development of a ‘public-private partnership’ as the macroeconomic situation remains the practical key mechanism of interaction between the state and business. Here, Russia is relatively lost in the standard practice of private businesses, after its century-long under socialism and communism. In an assessment, corporate businesses are still centrally controlled under the ministries and in the Kremlin. The learning process of analytical and the importance of ‘public-private partnership’ for now is just a daily business slogan and a theory being frequently chuckled in the Russian Federation.
The biggest obstacle is related to the analysis of legal rules and regulations, and now Russia’s relations with the Global South, its characteristic efforts in creating the necessary conditions for advancing and attracting investments and promoting trade between Russia and potential countries in Asia-Pacific and Africa. Beyond business networking and participating in practical seminars and masterclasses, ultimately results in signing agreements. On the other hand, according to expert analysts, multiple agreements highlight distinctive achievements by the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
“Stability and justice in a multipolar world are only possible if new centres of influence emerge, capable of offering their view on world problems and participating in the formation of a new world order. The development of new points of growth requires the active participation of different countries and regions that are ready to take responsibility for their future. The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum creates opportunities for discussions at the highest level, scaling ideas, solutions and initiatives to all spheres of social life and activities of the countries participating in its work,” said Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee.
According to Anton Kobyakov, about “6,000 people from more than 110 countries and territories have already confirmed their intention to participate in the forum. The international cooperation that occurs at SPIEF plays a key role in the development of mutually beneficial relations between countries and organizations. Participants share their experiences and make new connections. This builds trust between nations, expands markets, attracts investment, and creates a more favourable international economic environment. SPIEF is a platform for structured, focused dialogue between global business participants and government officials who contribute to the development of effective international cooperation.”
The programme consists of four (4) thematic tracks: “The Transition to a Multipolar World Economy”, “Goals and Objectives of Russia’s New Economic Cycle”, “Technologies for Leadership”, “A Healthy Society, Traditional Values and Social Development: The Priority of the State”. Roscongress Foundation, the organizer, has listed an international track which includes more than 10 business dialogues: EAEU–ASEAN, Russia–Africa, Russia–Latin America, Russia–China, Russia– South Africa, and other bilateral meetings.
More than 6,000 representatives of Russian and foreign businesses from over 3,000 companies located in 75 countries and territories took part in SPIEF 2023. More than 900 agreements worth a total of RUB 3,860 billion were signed (including 43 agreements with representatives of foreign companies, among them two with Italy and Spain.
In contrast, the SPIEF 2021 saw an unprecedented 890 agreements signed, eclipsing 2019’s 745 agreements worth a total of RUB 3.271 trillion. In addition, more than 150 international agreements were signed. That year, the total value of signed agreements not classed as confidential exceeded RUB 4.2666 trillion. Before Covid-19 was declared a pandemic in December, the SPIEF 2019 recorded 745 agreements signed totalling 3.271 trillion roubles.
The main theme of this year’s forum is “The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World” and the SPIEF 2024, as always, the business programme includes panel discussions, round tables, public talks, and speeches. President Vladimir Putin delivers the keynote address full of all directions, including establishing trends and external economic relations. The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will be held on 5–8 June at the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
One year after launching a continental initiative designed to make excellence in public governance the foundation of a new drive to transform Africa, LEAD, the Africa CEO Forum’s pan-African leadership programme, takes stock of its first cohort and announces the launch of its second class. Built around a community of senior public decision-makers committed to modernising the state and to the continent’s digital transformation, this new cohort gathers for three days, from 28 to 30 August 2026, on the campus of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Rabat, Morocco.
A second cohort that confirms the programme’s durability
For its second class, LEAD brings together 50 fellows, senior public decision-makers engaged in the design and implementation of the continent’s economic and social policies. Over three days, participants take part in collective and collaborative working sessions, peer exchanges and meetings with figures from the public, business and academic spheres, in order to compare their practices and build shared responses to the major challenges of governance.
Speakers include Mehdi Jomaa, former Head of Government of Tunisia, Donald Kaberuka, Managing Partner & Founder, SouthBridge Group, and former President of the African Development Bank, Serge Ekue, President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD), Sanjay Jain, co-creator of India Stack and Director of Digital Public Infrastructure, Gates Foundation, and Mauricio Cardenas, Professor of Professional Practice in Global Leadership, Columbia SIPA, and former Finance Minister of Colombia (2012-2018).
They share their reform experience, their public policy trade-offs and their view of continental priorities. Throughout the programme, the cohort benefits from the dedicated support of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Asafo & Co, BOAD, BCG and the African Development Bank, LEAD partners that have chosen to invest in the transformation of African public action.
LEAD, a pan-African community serving public action
Created by the AFRICA CEO FORUM, LEAD is a leadership programme whose ambition is to reposition Africa’s administrative elite as a driver of reform, of performance and of dialogue with all the continent’s stakeholders.
Designed for senior African public decision-makers, LEAD sets out to build a lasting community of public officials able to share their experience, compare their practices and build common solutions to the major economic, technological and institutional transformations under way in Africa. That community is structured around three pillars: modernizing the state, improving public services, and strengthening cooperation between governments, development institutions and private-sector players.
From fellows to alumni: a long-term initiative
Made up of 36 fellows drawn from a range of administrations and institutions and representing 24 countries across the continent, LEAD’s first cohort demonstrated the quality and the potential of this community from its very first year. In less than twelve months, six of its members have taken a significant step forward: two have been appointed ministers, two have moved into strategic positions at the highest level of the state and two have been promoted to chief executive roles. These moves, which account for 16.7% of the first class, show the role LEAD plays as an accelerator of impact within African administrations.
By bringing together a new cohort of fellows every year, each of them joining the LEAD alumni community, the initiative follows a long-term trajectory: in time, to unite several hundred African public decision-makers around a shared culture of transparency, performance and regional cooperation.
A first year devoted to public service and digital public infrastructure
Throughout the year, the fellows devoted their work to strengthening African public action, to make excellence in public governance a central lever of transformation. An awareness campaign, run as part of Africa Public Service Day, brought to light those who, within the continent’s administrations and institutions, are concretely transforming public policy and improving the services offered to citizens.
Members of the cohort also took part in a special round table held in Kigali during the ACF 2026, in order to carry their thinking to a wider community of public and private leaders. That forum reinforced LEAD’s role as a platform for dialogue between the administrative elite and the continent’s economic players. Digital public infrastructure (DPI) formed the main thread of this first year of work.
Discussions covered issues at the heart of the digital sovereignty of African states: digital identity, payments, secure data exchange, interoperability, governance and the protection of citizens. This work examined the conditions under which African states are developing, in some cases, and can develop, in others, shared, open infrastructure robust enough to improve the quality of public services while supporting local innovation and preserving the capacity of public authorities to set the rules of the game.
A white paper to move from consuming technology to creating value
This year of work concludes with the publication, in collaboration with BCG, LEAD’s Knowledge Partner, of a white paper on Africa’s place in the digital economy and in artificial intelligence. With the digital economy still accounting for around 5% of African GDP, against close to 15% worldwide, the paper calls on the continent to shift from a logic of technology consumption to one of value creation.
The white paper identifies three structuring priorities for African public actors:
- Building shared digital infrastructure that serves as the backbone of public services and private innovation.
- Pooling investment in order to reach critical mass and avoid the fragmentation of efforts across the continent.
- Favouring open and interoperable architectures, with trust and governance built in by design, so as to protect citizens while stimulating the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The white paper is available here to all public decision-makers, technical partners and institutions concerned.
“LEAD’s first cohort confirms a simple conviction: Africa already has the women and men capable of profoundly transforming public action. Our responsibility, either with our partners, is to give them, at pan-African level, a space in which to compare experience, build common solutions and bring forward a new generation of public policy. With this second cohort, we want to accelerate the move from ambition to execution, in particular on digital public infrastructure and artificial intelligence, two decisive issues for sovereignty, for the effectiveness of the state and for value creation across the continent,” says Amir Ben Yahmed, President of the Africa CEO Forum.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
Africa is set to make history as it hosts the World Public Summit for the first time, with Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, welcoming global leaders and changemakers from July 29–30, 2026, for the landmark gathering under the theme “New World: Africa in Shaping a Shared Future.”
The inaugural African edition of the World Public Summit marks a significant milestone in the continent’s growing role in shaping international dialogue on governance, sustainable development, human-centred leadership and global cooperation.
Hosted by the World Peoples Assembly in partnership with African and international organisations, the summit will convene government officials, diplomats, business leaders, academics, journalists, youth representatives, civil society organisations and cultural leaders from across Africa and around the world.
According to Andrey Belyaninov, General Secretary of the World Peoples Assembly, “the Summit is not just a meeting—it is a space for unity. A space where the ‘values that unite us’ come to life: respect for people, openness to the world, responsibility for the future, and a commitment to creation.
“Today, we understand more clearly than ever: the future cannot be built alone. It is born in dialogue, in trust, in the ability to listen to one another and to act together.”
The programme begins on July 29 with a series of high-level roundtables and expert discussions covering Pan-African economic integration, civil society, education, scientific cooperation, cultural diplomacy and humanitarian partnerships.
The opening plenary, “Values, Development and Partnership as the Basis of a Sustainable and Just World,” will explore how African values—including Ubuntu—can help shape a more inclusive and sustainable global future. Discussions will also focus on youth leadership, innovation, civil society, ethical AI, public initiatives and international partnerships.
The summit will also showcase Africa’s creativity and innovation through the “Innovations for the Future” exhibition, the contemporary African art exhibition “Unity,” and the international exhibition “The World Paints Happiness.”
Another featured initiative is “The Zambezi River: Economy, Society, Soul,” an international interdisciplinary project exploring the river’s socioeconomic importance across Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, highlighting the shared heritage and development potential of one of Africa’s most important waterways.
The event will conclude with the adoption of the African Communiqué, reflecting the summit’s shared vision for stronger international cooperation, sustainable development and people-centred leadership.
Tsegaye Chama, General Secretary of the Global Black Centre, promised that, “The Summit will be delivered with exceptional distinction, reflecting the magnitude and spirit of the World Peoples Assembly. It embodies a unity that is not transactional, but purposeful and conscious, a unity that shapes new contours for a world that works for all peoples of the World.”
As delegates prepare to arrive in Addis Ababa, anticipation continues to build for what promises to be one of Africa’s most significant international gatherings of 2026—one that will place the continent firmly at the centre of global conversations about the future.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria regained its position as Africa’s leading destination for equity startup investment in the first half of 2026, raising $214 million in equity financing and a total of $254 million across equity and debt, according to the latest Africa: The Big Deal report.
The report, titled H1 2026: Mapping the Money, showed that Nigeria ranked second on the continent in total funding, behind Egypt, which attracted $327 million, while Kenya and South Africa followed with $126 million and $83 million, respectively.
However, the report noted that Egypt’s top position was largely driven by a single fundraising by electric mobility company Spiro, which secured $327 million, including $270 million in equity and $57 million in debt. Excluding debt financing, Nigeria emerged as Africa’s largest equity funding market in the first six months of the year.
According to the breakdown by Africa: The Big Deal, Nigeria’s equity funding of $214 million was higher than Egypt’s $183 million, while South Africa and Kenya attracted $66 million and $46 million, respectively.
Beyond funding value, Nigeria also led the continent in the number of startups that raised at least $100,000 during the review period, reclaiming the top spot after what the report described as an “underwhelming” second half of 2025.
The publication observed that Nigeria’s fundraising performance has remained relatively stable over the past few years and exceeded the $250 million mark for the first time since 2022, pointing to renewed investor confidence in the country’s startup ecosystem.
It also found that while the Big Four startup markets—Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa—continued to dominate Africa’s investment landscape, their combined share of total funding stood at 58 per cent in the first half of 2026.
“Zooming back on the Big Four (110 out of 190 $100k+ deals, i.e. 58%), Nigeria is head and shoulders above its peers, with Egypt and Kenya almost tying, and South Africa in fourth position again,” the report noted.
The report highlighted contrasting performances among the continent’s largest startup ecosystems. While Nigeria and Egypt maintained strong funding momentum, Kenya recorded its weakest funding performance since early 2021 after a strong second half of 2025, and South Africa failed to attract $100 million in funding during the period despite leading the continent a year earlier.
Africa: The Big Deal also noted a broader shift in investor behaviour, with funding increasingly concentrated in larger transactions while early-stage investments continued to decline. According to the publication, the drop in smaller funding rounds reflects growing concerns about limited capital available for early-stage startups across Africa.
